PepsiCo South Africa on July 18 hosted a tour of its Sasko Shakaskraal bakery, in KwaZulu-Natal, showcasing one of the country’s most important food production hubs and the company’s efforts to uplift communities.

For 95 years since the brand’s establishment, Sasko has grown to have 13 bakeries and five flour mills delivering 73 individual products, including 600-million loaves of bread a year, across South Africa.

The company’s 1 300 trucks – that are serviced and washed on site – travel more than four-million kilometres each month to ensure timely and widespread delivery to customers.

Notably, PepsiCo South Africa bakeries GM Cornel Vermeulen says one in every four loaves of bread sold in South Africa is Sasko, with the brand’s ethos of “people, passion and purpose” being embedded in every loaf.

The company’s products include health-conscious varieties such as low Glycemic Index, wholewheat and seeded breads, as well as the first-in-South Africa “snack bun” concept that is being rolled out in Gauteng.

Sasko recently embarked on a “best ever loaf” endeavour whereby it revisited its recipes, production processes and distribution functions to deliver a superior product in every respect.

This forms part of PepsiCo South Africa’s efforts to operate optimally and sustainably, with the group having been water positive since 2020, for example. The group replenishes more water than it uses across all its production sites in South Africa, including by improving water catchment areas. In 2024 alone, PepsiCo replenished 24-million litres of water.

PepsiCo’s “Recon” resource conservation programme drives key performance indicators on sustainability across the group, with the target of being fully renewable-energy-powered by 2030.

The 27 930 m² bakery in Shakaskraal is a working example of how PepsiCo South Africa is leading with purpose, delivering nourishment and national pride to consumers in KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring provinces.

The bakery has a 2.7 t an hour biomass boiler on site operating on wood chips to generate energy. Shakaskraal has consistently passed green food audits owing to its 11 stringent hourly checks being undertaken in the plant.

With each person in South Africa consuming an average 37 loaves of bread a year, Vermeulen says Sasko is poised for further growth in this category.

About 70% of Sasko’s sales are to the traditional trade, or informal market, with the balance comprising supermarket retail sales.

Sasko’s bakeries promise manufacturing excellence with world-class quality and safety processes, while investing in the growth and wellness of children through its Siyasizana “Play Better” playground initiative.

The company is on track to have provided safe and fun play spaces for more than 1 000 schools across the country by the end of this year, benefitting one-million children. Sasko aims to ramp up the building of playgrounds to benefit five-million South African children by 2030.

The initiative also includes educational and engagement activities, which contribute to childhood development and the broader impact it has on community growth.

PepsiCo South Africa chief marketing officer Vilosha Soni describes the playgrounds initiative as promoting mental, physical and emotional wellbeing for children, while other company initiatives include community nurseries that provide income and food for local residents.

She says the Shakaskraal bakery, like all of Sasko’s production sites, not only strives to bake consistent quality bread for the nation, but also to make livelihoods and possibilities come to life for communities.